Snow moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where the church was headquartered, but spent much of his time on missions, primarily in Pennsylvania. He later served a mission to Salem, Massachusetts, where he baptized several converts, including Nathaniel Ashby, a man with whom he shared a duplex when they both resided in Nauvoo, Illinois.[3]

Later in the 1850s, Snow served as the presiding church authority in the midwest United States, using St. Louis as his headquarters. He returned to Utah Territory in 1857 and engaged in farming.

In 1860, Snow went with Orson Pratt on a mission to the Eastern States. By the time they reached the Eastern United States, Abraham Lincoln had been elected president. With the impending war, they were able to convince many church members to move to Utah. Much of this migration happened in 1861 after the American Civil War had begun. After returning to Utah in 1861, Snow was made the apostle in charge of the Southern Utah Mormon settlements.